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In-Home Nursing Care Gets Official Uplift

In-Home Nursing Care Gets Official Uplift
In-Home Nursing Care Gets Official Uplift

Under a new bill passed by the Majlis (parliament) on Saturday, in-home nursing care provided by registered nurses is now recognized as official with all the benefits of full-time employment.

“As per the bill that was passed as clause 5 of Article 89 of the sixth economic development plan (2016-2021), a medical reference system incorporating nurses for in-home nursing care will be implemented in the national healthcare network with the family physician plan on priority,” said deputy health minister for nursing Mohammad Mirzabeigi.

“There was an executive bylaw for such services at the Health Ministry earlier, but parliamentary approval will give their practice a legal characteristic, making it an official job with added benefits,” he told IRNA.

The law now officially recognizes nursing care as a community-based system of care and an integral part of healthcare.

“This means people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, cancer, the elderly, or children with disabilities can now have access to services by licensed practical nurses at home,” Mirzabeigi noted.

Nursing encompasses the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and care of physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of all ages, in all healthcare and other community settings.  The unique function of nurses in caring for individuals, sick or otherwise, is to assess their responses to their health status and to assist them in the performance of work contributing to health or recovery.

 Hospice Care Centers

Additionally, the Health Ministry plans to set up hospice care centers across the country.

Hospice care is a type of care and philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a chronically ill, terminally ill or seriously ill patient’s pain and symptoms, and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs. Such institutions may provide care mostly in an end-of-life setting, but they may also be available for patients with other specific palliative care needs.

“Hospice care also involves assistance for patients’ families to help them cope with what is happening and provide care and support to the patient at home,” he said, adding that this reduces costs for people who need more care rather than medical treatment.”

The tariffs for in-home nursing care will be determined by the High Council of Insurance in the near future.

The council develops policy with regard to health insurance and communicates it to all health insurance organizations for implementation. It was established in 1994 to undertake policy planning and coordination and conducting, monitoring and evaluating the quality and quantity of health insurance services.

It has a wide range of duties including determining per capita for healthcare and the level of insurance premiums and patient contributions, and decisions relating to the inclusion or exclusion of medical services and health technologies.

Registered nurses who meet the prerequisites set by the ministry can also visit universities of medical sciences to apply for setting up in-home care centers.

In-home nursing care has potential to create jobs for at least 300,000 nurses, Mirzabeigi said. The admission capacity for nursing students at medical universities increased to 12,000 in 2016 from 6,000 in 2014.

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